In a recent phase I clinical trial, about 50% of patients receiving a new targeted therapy for worsening non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had the cancer shrink. Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets the cancer’s specific genes, proteins, or the tissue environment that contributes to cancer growth and survival. Specifically, this new targeted therapy, AZD9291, targets changes or mutations to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Early-stage research suggests that a new targeted drug, PLX3397, could become a treatment option for people with a neoplastic joint disorder called pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS). PVNS is a rare joint condition that usually affects the hip or knee, causing tumors to form in these joints that destroy joint tissue and cause severe, life-changing symptoms. PVNS is a type of uncontrollable cell growth, similar to a cancer, but it is not considered a cancer because it usually does not spread to other parts of the body.

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